The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1887-09-22
HOUSEHOLD HYGIENE
TYPHOID FEVER AND HOW rr Can
BE PREvENTED.
One Of the Constituents Of MORTALITY -
ports Throughout the world-The HI.
tory Of an Attack Of This Dread Disssse--
Some Pertinent Points ON its TreasmsnA


fCcpyrfgAted. fSs71
Typhoid fever is nearly at an times .
constituent of mortality reports through
out the world. 1t is caused by minute
vegetable organism (the bacillus of ~
phoid fever, which is taken into the
stomach either in the food and drink or
inhaled in the air respired. This bacillus
was discovered about six years ago by .
German microscopes named Eberth, and
numerous observations and experiments
made upon it since that time seem TO
prove conclusively that the bacillus 10
the active agent in producing the fever.
The history of an attack of typhoid
fever is usually something like this For
two weeks after the poison has gained
entrance into the body there are no
symptoms whatever from it. The indi-
vidual appears in his usual state Of
health. This is called the stage of incu-
baton or Matching out The bacillus 10
quietly undergoing development for his
deadly work-putting himself in train
ing, SO to speak. Then, after day or
two of dull headache, loss Of appetite,
listlessness, fever, looseness Of the bowels
and, perhaps, bleeding at the nose, the
patient gives up and goes to bed. At this
time there is often, especially at night,
considerable wandering of the thoughts,
sometimes amounting to active delirium.
The patient imagines all sorts of absurd
things, but is generally easily controlled.
The fever rises until the temperature IL
at times as high as 1867. The tongue 10
dry, the eyes flushed and the headache
pretty severe. There is usually tender
ness on pressure over the lower portion
of the abdomen ON the right side. The
diarrh9a continues and is at times trouble
some. These symptoms last about ten
days, when, If the casS terminates favor
ably, the fever abates and recovery very
gradually ensues.
Typhoid fever does not originate in
sewers, cutters, ,cess-pools or bad-smelling
places, unless the specific bacillus Is pres
ent and taken into the system in some
way. The disease always arises from q
pre-existing case, just as smallpox does.
If, however, the bacillus is once intro
duced into community it is very difficult
to get rid of the unwelcome guest, for
every case of the fever breeds multitudes
of other bacilli, which are scattered in the
dejections and may 80 infect an entire
city. This is what occurred in the town of
Plymouth, in Pennsylvania, two years
ago. Material containing the typhoid
germs gained access to the general water
supply of Plymouth, and in two or three
weeks large proportion Of the inhab-
itants were sick with the fever and many
died. Similar experiences have been
many times recorded in England. In one
of the suburbs of Paris there was lately
an outbreak of typhoid fever, which was
attributed to the water of certain wells.
Examination of the suspected water 70
vealed the presence of typhoid bacillus.
1t is not undeserving of the attention
of all persons using ice land nearly
everybody uses ice in this country that
the typhoid germ is not killed by freez-
ing. DR.. T. Mitchell Prudden, Q distin-
guished microscopist of New York, has
lately shown that this bacillus survived
even if frozen in solid block Of ice for
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